By Sean Maguire ( July 8, 2026, 06:28 GMT | Insight) -- Australia has introduced a bill to refine its mandatory merger regime, replacing automatic voiding of non-notified acquisitions with a Federal Court process, allowing extensions to the 12-month merger clearance period and narrowing notification requirements for some minority investments. The bill, introduced into the House of Representatives on July 2, follows industry feedback. The amendments are intended to reduce regulatory burdens while preserving the competition-watchdog's oversight and enforcement powers. The changes have been broadly welcomed by competition lawyers, who say they will provide greater legal certainty, reduce unnecessary filings and give businesses more flexibility to complete delayed transactions.The Australian government has introduced legislation to amend the country’s mandatory merger regime less than a year after it came into effect....
Prepare for tomorrow’s regulatory change, today
MLex identifies risk to business wherever it emerges, with specialist reporters across the globe providing exclusive news and deep-dive analysis on the proposals, probes, enforcement actions and rulings that matter to your organization and clients, now and in the longer term.
Know what others in the room don’t, with features including:
- Daily newsletters for Antitrust, M&A, Trade, Data Privacy & Security, Technology, AI and more
- Custom alerts on specific filters including geographies, industries, topics and companies to suit your practice needs
- Predictive analysis from expert journalists across North America, the UK and Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific
- Curated case files bringing together news, analysis and source documents in a single timeline
Experience MLex today with a 14-day free trial.